Top 20 Most Awkward Reality TV Moments
#20: Raj Helps Himself
“Hell’s Kitchen” (2005–)
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This personal chef from Queens, New York lasted only three episodes into the eighth season of “Hell’s Kitchen,” and even that seemed like two too many. From his bumbling during dinner service to his clashes with his more experienced teammates, let’s just say no one was placing their bets on Raj to win. But his most awkward moment came in his elimination episode. While his team struggled to send out even one entrée, Raj was eating the leftovers. Even when his teammates asked him not to, he just couldn’t help himself. Clearly, their dishes were too good to resist. Chef Ramsay wasn’t amused, but what else is new?
#19: Greig Leaves Dinner
“First Dates” (2013–)
This popular British reality show takes place in a restaurant where two strangers would meet for a blind date. As if first dates weren’t awkward enough for the Brits, they had to add cameras and potential humiliation in front of millions to the mix. In this memorable episode, Greig got dumped by his blind date, John, before the main course even arrived. Apparently, John didn’t find Greig attractive at all, and wasted no time in letting him know that. Despite Greig’s disappointment, it’s clear he dodged a bullet. When he gave the show a second go, he actually found a husband.
#18: Wheels of Cheese
“The Amazing Race” (2001–)
If the idea of desperate people rolling wheels of cheese down a hill seems ridiculous to you, you’d be correct. On the fourteenth season of “The Amazing Race,” contestants were tasked with transporting heavy hunks of cheese down a steep hill while drunk Swiss men laughed at them. It’s a very specific anxiety fever dream of a challenge. From the jaunty little tune playing over the soundtrack to the wheels of cheese rolling down the hill at killing speed, everything here is just so bizarre. It’s almost hard to believe that this is what stands between these people and a million dollars.
#17: Chicken or Fish
“Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica” (2003-05)
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Long before he hosted “Love is Blind,” Nick Lachey and then-wife, singer and fashion designer Jessica Simpson let their own love story play out for millions of viewers. The two were just like any other couple trying to answer life’s big questions. How many kids should we have? How should we spend our money? Is tuna fish, or is it chicken? Jessica’s adorable confusion over the brand name, Chicken of the Sea, lives on in reality TV infamy. What makes it even more awkward is that, instead of laughing or helping her out, Lachey just stares at her dumbfounded. The interaction would be replayed and dissected for years to come, and it’s arguably one of reality TV’s first viral moments.
#16: Utica’s Roast
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” (2009–)
We’ve seen our fair share of bad stand-up routines on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Season 13’s Utica Queen bombed her comedy set so hard that the judges started reading her during the challenge. Her jokes, such as they were, got only pity laughs for most of her routine. But when Utica made the mistake of going after guest judge Loni Love, the roaster became the roastee. To make things even worse, this happened not once, but twice. Utica’s next joke about RuPaul wasn’t nearly as funny as Ru’s wordless response. You know you messed up when the people you’re roasting get the bigger laugh.
#15: Fake Tears
“Love Is Blind” (2020–)
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Viewers couldn’t believe what they were seeing when they tuned into the anticipated third season of Netflix’s “Love is Blind.” After participant Nancy Rodriguez turned down Andrew Liu’s proposal of marriage, he told producers he was hurt. Then, with the cameras still rolling, he applied some eye drops and claimed that Nancy’s rejection had brought him to tears. Maybe he assumed they’d work some magic in editing to make the eye drops and his alleged tears appear genuine. But no, the show left all of this in for everyone to see. The audience may have been stunned, but his castmates were not surprised at all.
#14: David’s Dead
“Celebrity Big Brother” (2001-18)
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David Bowie’s death sent unintended shockwaves through the “Celebrity Big Brother” house. Bowie’s grieving ex-wife, Angie, decided to tell fellow housemate Tiffany Pollard the news. If there’s one thing Tiffany “New York” Pollard is known for, it’s keeping things calm, cool, and collected. So, naturally, she began wailing like a widow at a funeral. Turns out Pollard thought Angie meant their fellow housemate, David Gest, had died. The miscommunication sent a panic through the house. In the span of a few minutes, Pollard experienced the entire spectrum of human emotion, but everyone else was just along for the ride. As Angie said, it was a mess.
#13: Hottie’s Chicken
“Flavor of Love” (2006-08)
Schatar Taylor, also known as “Hottie,” is an undersung hero of the “Flavor of Love” franchise. However, Hottie’s most awkward moments were not with her castmates, but with food. When she and her fellow “Flavor of Love” contestants are tasked with cooking up some fried chicken, Hottie has an ingenious idea. She proceeds to stab raw vegetables and other condiments into a whole uncooked chicken and put it in the microwave. Mo’Nique may not have appreciated her apple, but at least that was edible. The chicken she presented to Flavor Flav and his mother was not only unsavory, it actually might be a crime to serve that in some states.
#12: Raquel or Ariana?
“Vanderpump Rules” (2013–)
Breakups are always messy. And those brought about by infidelity are a lot messier. Add the cameras and you’ve got epic reality television. Season 10 of “Vanderpump Rules” brought to light the affair that brought down one of the show’s most enduring couples, Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix. Sandoval’s affair with Madix’s friend, Raquel Leviss, made it to air on the season finale. The two laid out a timeline of their relationship for the benefit of the cameras, during which Tom accidentally called Raquel by Ariana’s name. This would be awkward at any time. But right in the middle of the two establishing their relationship amid his breakup? It’s cringe to the ‘nth’ degree.
#11: Ashley Gets Roasted
“The Bachelorette” (2003–)
Roasts can be fun, right? Right? Is this thing on? When Season 7 “Bachelorette” Ashley Hebert asked her suitors to roast her, she clearly was asking for trouble. Ashley was a good sport at first, taking the repeated jokes about the size of her chest. But a joke would be one thing, most of these guys just decided to say the meanest thing they could think up without even attempting to pass them off as punchlines. Ashley was reduced to tears when her clear favorite contestant expressed that he and many of his castmates were disappointed that she was the season’s bachelorette. With potential husbands like these, who needs enemies?
#10: Rob Accidentally Takes a Male Enhancement Pill
“Keeping Up with the Kardashians” (2007-21)
Top 10 Most Awkward Reality TV Moments
This is embarrassing on so many levels. After Kris obtains male enhancement pills from her friend, she slips some into Bruce’s coffee. However, Rob intercepts the second cup, resulting in a two-hour erection and a hospital visit. Kris and Bruce then visit Rob in the hospital, resulting in a supremely embarrassed Rob sporting an erection around his parents. If that wasn’t humiliating enough, Kris is forced to admit to her family that she had slipped Bruce erection pills. Just imagine being Rob here – awkwardly sporting an erection in front of your parents while they are discussing their sex lives and the use of male enhancement pills.
#9: Baby Madonna
“Toddlers & Tiaras” (2009-16)
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To be honest, we could probably put every episode and segment of “Toddlers & Tiaras” on this list, but arguably no moment was more controversial than Baby Madonna. The Madonna impersonator in question is Mia, a two-year-old beauty child pageant competitor. These contests are problematic enough as is, but her outfit is even more egregious – a gold bustier complete with cone breasts, modeled after sex icon Madonna. You know, the outfit she wore while she famously feigned touching herself during the Blond Ambition Tour? It’s not something you ever put a two-year-old in, and it was met with fierce backlash by the mainstream media. It was not just awkward – it was reprehensible.
#8: Snooki Is Punched in the Face
“Jersey Shore” (2009-12)
Snooki being punched directly in the face is now reality TV history, and it is every bit as iconic and awkward today as it was back in 2009. In the show’s first season, Snooki was brutally punched in the face by high school teacher Brad Ferro, who was later fired from his position at Queens Community High School. The punch itself was widely shared across the internet and made Snooki a national celebrity. MTV later pulled the footage and called it “extremely disturbing,” but not before it had used the punch in promos and made “Jersey Shore” and Snooki household names. Funny how that works, huh?
#7: “Go Big or Go Home!”
“Vanderpump Rules” (2013-)
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Reality TV usually centers on an egocentric cast, but rarely are the stars as overtly vain and shallow as this. In the fourth season of “Vanderpump Rules,” Jax admitted that he was falling back into bad habits. To perk himself up, he convinces his girlfriend Brittany to get a “full D” breast enlargement. While she was considering a C-cup, Jax managed to convince her to go bigger, telling her in an incredibly obnoxious manner, “It’s not just for you. It’s for me.” Worse, he later complained about helping her after the surgery, calling his help “serious boyfriend duty.” It made for really awkward TV, and it just made us feel bad for poor Brittany.
#6: Aviva Takes Off Her Prosthetic Leg
“The Real Housewives of New York City” (2008-)
This show is full of ridiculous and childish behavior, but this is on another level. After Aviva’s co-stars accused her of embellishing her asthma, Aviva responded in the intelligent and mature way of slamming her prosthetic leg on the table. Everyone was understandably shocked; it’s a weird move. However, it seems as if Aviva was fully aware of how inappropriate the action was, as she later told HuffPost Live that she did it for the drama. In her own words, “Would I ever do that in real life? No. But there were several cameras around me, and was I thinking about making a show and be[ing] entertaining? Yes, absolutely.”
#5: Asia’s Butterfly Fail
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” (2009-)
If you’re going to attempt some dramatic flourish onstage, best to make sure it actually works before the big moment. On the season 10 finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Asia had planned to release some butterflies from her chest and wrist compartments during the lip sync in an “amazing... display of optimism.” Unfortunately, the butterflies were feeling a little lazy that day. Most of them simply stayed put in their little compartment, while others just fell to the floor after Asia forced them out. The horrified (and hilarious) reactions from the audience say it all. This fail instantly became a meme, and Asia was rightfully eliminated from the competition, placing fourth.
#4: Tiffany vs. Tyra
“America’s Next Top Model” (2003-18)
Is there anything more awkward than watching two people scream at each other? Well, in this case it’s one person screaming while the other sheepishly takes it, but the point still stands! After Tiffany was eliminated from the fourth cycle, Tyra criticized her seemingly careless attitude and for treating the competition like a joke. And when Tiffany fought back by explaining her side, Tyra exploded in a scene right out of an Oscar-winning drama, complete with tear-choked lines like “I was rooting for you!” and “you take responsibility for yourself!” We never saw Tyra explode like this, and it made for really uncomfortable viewing.
#3: Why Mohamed Has Stopped Having Sex with Danielle
“90 Day Fiancé” (2014-)
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You see, this is what is wrong with reality TV. Sure, we’ve had some fun before this, but the idea of cameras capturing such a personal and intimate conversation like this is just…wrong. It makes us feel voyeuristic and dirty. Here we see Mohamed and Danielle talking about their sex life (or lack thereof) and how Danielle threatened to have Mohamed deported if he didn’t sleep with her. Danielle further explains that Mohamed has told people that she smells (she does, says Mohamed) and that she has “peed on him,” prompting many bewildered looks. Everyone is clearly uncomfortable talking about this, and we are just as uncomfortable watching it.
#2: Josh & Emily’s Kiss
“Love at First Kiss” (2016)
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Many of us have experienced awkward first kisses. But the next time you’re lying awake and thinking about your God-awful first romantic impression, take comfort in knowing that it couldn’t have been any worse than Josh’s. The whole concept of this show is having complete strangers kiss each other and seeing if anything sparks. Nothing sparked between Josh and Emily. Imagine that. We watched in horror as inexperienced kisser Josh approached Emily with a really creepy and uncomfortable smile before lightly smooching her cheek, weirdly embracing her, and walking away. We are forced to watch through our fingers, because this is just too much. Anyone who didn’t physically recoil from this wins one MsMojo point.
#1: Jason Dumps Melissa
“The Bachelor” (2002-)
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Well, you don’t see this every day on “The Bachelor,” that’s for sure. Though it was shot a month and a half after the filming of the main episodes, the “After the Final Rose” special aired right after the season finale was broadcast. It followed Jason as he dumped winner Melissa to get with Molly. This is another instance of cameras capturing a moment of incredible intimacy, and it again made us feel terrible for gobbling it up as entertainment. How would you feel if your fiancé dumped you on national television in front of about 15 million people? Luckily everything worked out for Melissa, as she married Tye Strickland and had three children with him - but in the moment, our hearts were shattered for the poor woman.
